Finnish poetry is the poetry from Finland. It is usually written in the Finnish language or Swedish language, but can also include poetry written in Northern Sámi or other Sámi languages. It has its roots in the early folk music of the area, and still has a thriving presence today.
The retrieval of these old folk songs in the 19th century reinvigorated the countries sense of poetic identity and influenced later poets. The best-known opus of Finnish poetry is the mythical epic Kalevala, compiled by Elias Lönnrot. Arguably the Kalevala established Finland in equal status with Sweden as a national language.
Poetry continues to be popular in Finland today and is marked by the individual directions its poets take not limited to traditional schools or ideologies. Authorities claimed this repression of literature was said to be in the protection of the working classes, the only readers of Finnish poetry, against 'nonreligious and nonutilitarian' motives which would dissuade them from work. Prior to this between 1766 and 1788 folk poetry saw a revival among upper classes who mostly spoke Swedish. Between 1864 and 1870 Aleksis Kivi, a writer and poet, was the first to publish his work in the Finnish language. Since then, national interest in Finnish poetry has only increased as Finnish Universities became increasingly interested in ancient texts in a conscious and collective movement towards national identity.
In the second half of the 19th century August Ahlqvist, known by his pseudonym Oksanen, also had a considerable influence on Finnish poetry providing strict rules about the forms of linguistic expression in an attempt to match if not rival the literary art of other European languages. These were attempts to abandon the 'beauties' of the old folk meter in favour of a more 'elegant and precise' form of meter well known to Europe. However, in subsequent years, during the 1920s and 30's, Ahlqvist's experimental form of poetry was attacked by many critics and writers because of its rhyme and fixed metric patterns despite Ahlqvist's experience writing poetry in the old folk meter. Alhqvist's reasoning for advocating the abandonment of the old folk meter came from a pre-emptive fear of Finnish writing sounding anachronistic. He also predicted the importance of stress in future Finnish poetry. These poems were originally written for Finnish Nobility of the Middle Ages and they reflect universal myths such as the creation of the world from an egg, the Milky Way as being depicted by a humungous tree, and deeds of heroes.
Sampo is an early creation story about the adventures of the warrior Lemminkäinen, and the tragic hero Kullervo. These stories, belonging to the larger folk epic Kalevala, are mixed with historical as well as mystical themes which has caused speculation on fictionality of the tales' characters. Many of the lyrics are love songs emotive of Finland's rural landscapes pulling imagery from its forests, lakes and occasionally village life. In the preface to Jacobus Finno's hymn book of 1582 the Church's justification for its disdain towards old folk poetry seemed to be 'Because there were no sacred songs for the people to learn, they began to practise pagan rites and to sing shameful, lewd and foolish songs'. This process included the removal of unnecessary Christian imagery and the names of people and places in relation to the history of old folklore. The collection of epic poetry was favoured above everything else as they were deemed part of an 'expansive oral narrative which one could still access'. The authenticity of these findings has continuously been debated as often national romantics had to creatively fill in the gaps left by the fragments they had found. The material retrieved from these expeditions have since been documented by modern scholars as 'shared experience dialogues' consisting of lyrics, proverbs and laments that refer to a broader 'discussion' between rune singers, collectors, and modern observers over the course of Finland's poetic history.
1960s
Post WWII Finland underwent an urbanisation which changed poets' relationships with culture and nature, specifically the forest. Like much of Europe and the western world, 1960s Finland saw an artistic period of challenging old taboo's where its poetry become heavily politicised. The aesthetic of these poets was shaped using experimentation, introducing techniques such as collage and montage in order to what Veivo says, 'open the space of the text to foreign voices and materials and to connect with everyday life, politics and a wide range of social discourses'.